Posted on 06/21/2005 8:30:14 AM PDT by pabianice
WORCESTER, MA — With the Paris Cinema facing criminal and civil nuisance charges, city councilors want the License Commission to examine the adult movie theater’s entertainment license when it’s considered for renewal at the end of this month.
An order submitted by City Councilor Philip P. Palmieri also calls for an update on communication the administration may have had with the owners of the adult movie theater at 68 Franklin St. The order, co-sponsored by Councilor Joseph M. Petty, will reach the full council tomorrow.
“The substantive issue here is whether they are going to renew and whether the License Commission feels it’s applicable under these circumstances,” Mr. Palmieri said. “It puts on the forefront for everybody to have an idea what’s really going down. How the city would like to handle it, what the owners plan to do and what the License Commission plans to do to address it.”
The X-rated cinema has come under much scrutiny since January, when a series of police raids resulted in the arrests of 22 men for engaging in sexual acts in the theater, some in groups and others by themselves.
At the same time, the city Code Enforcement Department issued a cease-and-desist order giving the cinema a week to make structural repairs or close. After a series of appeals and hearings, a Housing Court judge issued an injunction in April closing the cinema until repairs could be made. The cinema was closed for nearly two months before opening last week, after making repairs.
In the meantime, District Attorney John J. Conte filed criminal and civil complaints in Superior Court charging the theater with being a public nuisance for allowing the sex acts to occur. The complaints seek the closure of the cinema, but Mr. Conte scored an early victory when a judge granted a preliminary injunction ordering the cinema to hire more staff to stop the acts. As a result, the cinema closed one of its two theaters to minimize the number of staff it would have to hire. The charges are still pending.
City Manager Michael V. O’Brien said the multi-front action at the cinema was an effort to address at once what he called multiple problems with the theater, saying the cinema painted an ugly picture of downtown at a time he’s pushing for revitalization. The cinema is located across the street from City Hall and the Worcester Common, and is surrounded by millions of dollars of new investment.
Burton Chandler, a lawyer for the Paris Cinema, has said the city action is a pretext to close the cinema because officials don’t like the nature of the business. He has accused code inspectors of being politically motivated, and at one point, during a state hearing on the code orders, tried to subpoena Mr. O’Brien to question his driving force.
However, the subpoena was quashed. Mr. Chandler continues to contend the criminal and civil charges, and filed a motion to dismiss the complaints, calling them unconstitutional. A Superior Court judge has taken the motion under advisement, after a hearing was held last month.
Mr. Palmieri noted there has also been talk that the owner of the building, Robert Hurwitz, has been trying to sell, and that numerous purchase and sale agreements have been signed over the last several years. He wonders if the push to sell has hastened since the city action, along with investors’ continued interest in the area.
His order calls for the city administration to determine if the Paris plans to reapply for its entertainment license, a yearly procedure, considering the recent action.
“It’s timely to know whether there’s communication between the administration and the Paris,” Mr. Palmieri said. “It’s important for some clarity as to really what is taking place.”
Mr. Palmieri had submitted a separate order months ago, calling for a report on how the administration works with the License Commission on nonalcoholic entertainment license holders.
He said the License Commission fares well in handling alcoholic license holders who have violated law or city ordinances, but said businesses that don’t serve alcohol don’t receive as much attention.
In Massachusetts I didn't think that anything was illegal unless it included a picture of a firearm or an insult to some easily offended group.
This is a GAY porn theater..( which is NOT stated anywhers in the article..PC speak).the VCR, and now the DVD, killed off 99.9% of the old porno theaters from the 60's..the only reason this place still exists, and men frequent it..is obvious..
Must be the hot, buttered poopcorn.
Hey, where else are you gonna get Mike and Ike candies?
"adult movie theater" - what are they showing 'Remainds of the Day' or 'Out of Africa' - they're adult movies.
>>'Remainds of the Day' or 'Out of Africa' - they're adult movies.<<
I bet you think "Howard's End" is an adult movie too! (music in background: "...we'll have a gay old time...")
Having seen the corruption of Boston, I can guarantee you that this cinema failed to pay off the right local officials, so they are making an example out of it.
As sticky as the floor in that place must be, you could probably turn the building upside down and shake it and no one would budge.
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